Cruz, Trump Tension Heats Up

As the Iowa Caucus approaches, the tension is heating up between Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. At one point, the billionaire businessman and the Texas senator seemed like the biggest allies on the campaign trail. Both presidential candidates appeal roughly to the same audience, and both will be relying on similar politicians for endorsements. While Donald Trump has been in a steady first place throughout the election, certain polls are showing Cruz in the lead in this crucial state. Furthermore, Cruz has the endorsement of the popular radio host, Rush Limbaugh, whose opinion will have a big effect election day morning. For these reasons, the two contenders, once strong allies, are starting to go after one another.

With the new poll that put Cruz ahead of Trump, Trump naturally went on the defense, and hit Cruz in his soft spot. The Texas senator was born in Canada. For those of you who do not remember, the location of President Obama’s birth has been and still is a major topic of conspiracy theories and conversations. The Fourteenth Amendment in the Constitution states that in order to run for president, the candidate must be a “natural born citizen.” While many consider this to mean born on American soil, others argue that you just need to have the ability to immediately acquire an American passport. As Senator Ted Cruz was born in Canada, those who agree with the American soil argument would say that he is not legally qualified to become president. For Senator Ted Cruz and his supporters, however, his American mother granted him immediate citizenship, therefore, abiding with the constraints of the Fourteenth Amendment.

So with the current political atmosphere and the Iowa caucus approaching, Donald Trump said that although he considers Cruz a friend and promises he wants what is best for him, he does not want the country to have to deal with a lawsuit if Cruz does become president, because the Democrats will most likely bring the case to court. Cruz, on the other hand, stated that he is absolutely an American citizen and there is no question of whether or not he is eligible to run in accordance with the Constitution (remember, Cruz is a big lover of the document).

Cruz brushed the comment off, but came back against the mogul in another subtle way. While not directly attacking Trump, Cruz just simply stated that you would never see a plane with his name stamped on it. This was obviously to paint the picture of himself as one with more of a connection to the everyday American, and was a jab at Trump’s opulent display of wealth.

As the race really starts to take off, Trump will have to choose which Republicans pose the biggest threat to his number one poll lead. Right now, the person looks to be Cruz, who has built a grassroots campaign that can seriously compete with Trump in Iowa and crucial states. While both candidates have subtly attacked one another, the tension between the two is starting to grow, and will most likely continue as the primary season gets started.